SQL Server Setup allows you to install Microsoft® SQL Server™ either on the local computer on which you are running the Setup program, or on a remote computer. The same installation options are available for both a local and a remote installation.
To perform a remote installation, these requirements must be met:
If you select a remote installation, SQL Server Setup prompts you for information about the remote computer.
Specify the user account under which SQL Server Setup starts a service on the remote computer. This user account must be an administrator on the remote computer and have read access to the Setup source files directory.
Do not confuse this user account with these accounts:
All of these user accounts are specified separately. However, you can use the same user account in each case.
Specify the name of the remote computer and, in Universal Naming Convention (UNC) format, the directory on the remote computer where SQL Server is to be installed. For example,
\\target_computer\C$\Mssql7
Specify, in UNC format, the directory of the SQL Server Setup files. This defaults to the directory from which you are currently running the Setup program. For example,
\\source_computer\share\SQL Server\x86\Setup
For a remote installation, SQL Server Setup collects the information you specify in the rest of the Setup program dialog boxes into the Setup.iss file. It starts a program, Remsetup.exe, on the remote computer, and then exits. Remsetup.exe starts a remote service, copies files to the \admin$ share directory, and runs an unattended installation on the remote computer using the options specified in Setup.iss.